As part of its upcoming U.S. DVB-SH mobile video trial, ICO Global Communications last week announced it would integrate its Mobile Interactive Media (MIM) suite of mobile media services with Clearwire’s broadband network.
The companies will examine the feasibility of delivering interactive video services via two-way wireless broadband and satellite connectivity. In addition to testing mobile video broadcast, they will look at ways to use Clearwire’s 2.5GHz spectrum and ICO’s 2.0GHz spectrum more efficiently.
This is the latest partnership announcement for the trial, expected to begin early next year in Raleigh, NC, with a similar trial being planned for Las Vegas. Alcetel-Lucent has signed on to provide network integration, as well as equipment, engineering and implementation services, for the trial, while Hughes is lending its GMR air interface technology. Fabless semiconductor maker DiBcom is providing the DVB-SH chipsets.
The trial is centered on the use of MIM, developed by ICO, as a way to use both satellite and terrestrial infrastructure to offer wireless voice, data, video and Internet services on mobile and portable devices with the DVB-SH mobile broadcasting standard in the S-band. ICO will use it to provide several channels of high-quality mobile video to large-screen user devices.
MIM is based on ICO’s geostationary satellite, ICO G1, scheduled for launch in January 2008, and the deployment of an Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC). As part of the trial, MIM terminals developed by Hughes will incorporate the DiBcom DVB-SH chipsets for live multicast video via G1 and ATC, as well as providing full-duplex satellite IP data communications services using the Hughes GMR air interface technology.
For more information, visit www.ico.com.
